Bārāsat The top unit of value in the coinage of the late Republic in Rome was the aureus, which prior to Nero was approximately 1/42 of a pound of gold. In 2010 dollars, where a pound of gold is worth about $14,000, the aureus takes on a value of approximately $330. The denarius, a silver coin, […]
Tag Archives: sestertius
Notes on Roman Money.
06-May-10HS.
05-May-10Nāspur Last night I was reading up on the Roman monetary system, and was reminded that a sestertius was 1/4 of a denarius. A denarius was abbreviated with an X; and a sestertius, unaccountably, with an HS. What the hell was that H? And I figured it out: it’s not an H, it’s IIS, i.e. II […]